


Go Gentle Into That Good Night

by Luftig



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Nightmares, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Pre-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Self-Doubt, Sleep, Wanda Maximoff Gets a Hug, Wanda Maximoff Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 12:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20639180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luftig/pseuds/Luftig
Summary: For Vision, nights in the Avengers Compound were quiet, solitary. Until he comes across someone who needs comforting.





	Go Gentle Into That Good Night

_ “Believe, believe in me, believe _

_ That life can change, that you're not stuck in vain _

_ We're not the same, we're different tonight _

_ Tonight, so bright _

_ Tonight _

_ And you know you're never sure _

_ But you're sure you could be right _

_ If you held yourself up to the light _

_ And the embers never fade in your city by the lake _

_ The place where you were born _

_ Believe, believe in me, believe _

_ In the resolute urgency of now” _

_ _ \- “Tonight, Tonight” The Smashing Pumpkins _ _

* * *

Vision found himself alone with his thoughts once again. He did not require sleep, so when his teammates turned in for bed, he was left by himself. Tony often stayed up with him, tinkering away in his workshop until the early hours of the morning. But, he had been drawn away from the compound on business.

He did not mind being alone. He used this time to tidy up, do any of the unfinished chores. Afterward, he would keep watch over the compound. Though some would consider it lonely, he enjoyed the silence that the night brought. It was peaceful compared to the hectic lives the Avengers led and the stillness allowed him to reflect.

Other times, he retired to his room, like he had tonight. He would attempt to catch up on the books or movies he had heard his teammates mention, only to fall into the trap of his uncertainty of his own existence. The characters reminded him of how inhuman he was. It was difficult for him to consider himself a man, when his own teammates barely considered him one. Captain Rogers and Wanda seemed to accept him the most. Both had been familiar with being different.

Even then, they, and the others regarded him curiously, yet with caution, as if they did not know how to behave around him. He knew that it was not intentional, it was simply human nature. He was different, even if he possessed the mind and characteristics of a man. 

He was torn from his musings when he heard soft footsteps padding along the hallway, followed by the sound of the kitchen faucet turning on a few moments later. He glanced at the clock in his room, the red lights showing that it was half past two in the morning. Why would anyone be in the kitchen so early?

His curiosity got the better of him, though he knew it wasn’t any of his business. He phased through his bedroom door, leaving behind the copy of _ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? _he had been trying to read on his untouched bed.

He decided to hover to the kitchen to avoid making noise. He found Wanda rummaging through one of the kitchen cabinets, evidently not finding what she was searching for by the frustrated noise she made. Her back was turned to him, so she did not seem to notice that he was there. 

Vision debated whether or not he should make his presence known to her. On one hand, he wanted to assist her in finding whatever it was that she was looking for, but on the other, he did not wish to scare her. His teammates were often unnerved by his ability to appear without their noticing. Then he heard her sniffle, to his confusion. Was not being able to find what she was after really so upsetting? 

She sniffled again and he felt concern shoot through his being. Not wanting her to become more distressed, he decided to reveal himself.

“Miss Maximoff?” 

She flinched at the sound of his voice, letting out a startled gasp. She spun around to see him standing or rather, hovering in the doorway. 

“Vision!” Her hand came up to clasp at her heart. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before huffing, “You scared me.”

He stopped levitating and he felt his face grow warm. “My apologies, Miss Maximoff. That was not my intention.” 

“It’s fine. I should have been paying more attention,” she scowled, turning back to the open cabinet, “what was your intention then?”

“You seemed to be having trouble with finding something and I wished to assist you. What is it that you are looking for?”

She eyed him, “Tea. I’m looking for a box of tea.”

Vision walked over to where she stood. He reached up to the cabinet that was directly to the right of the one she had opened. He pulled the door open and there sat two boxes of assorted teas along with several bags of coffee. Most of the Avengers were very fond of their coffee, rarely opting for the tea. The bags and boxes used to be scattered around the countertop. Amidst his tidying up, he decided to put them in one of the many unused cabinets.

Her eyes narrowed at the sight. “Of course they would’ve been in that one,” she muttered to herself. She shook her head and gave him a weak smile, “Thank you, Vision.”

“Of course,” he said. He noticed that her hands were shaking when she reached up to grab one of the boxes of tea and he felt that pang of worry ebb through him once again. “Is everything alright?”

Her gaze snapped up to meet his. He noted that her eyes were slightly red and the look in held her eyes was guarded, yet he could see the vulnerability trying to shine through.

“What do you mean?”

“You are shaking, miss.”

She sighed, looking down and opening the box she held in her hands, pulling out one of the teabags. He watched as she returned the box to its place and walked over to a cup of water sitting on the counter. She placed the cup into the microwave, hitting the “beverage” button.

“I’m fine,” she said, though it sounded unconvincing. They stood there in an awkward silence. It was obvious that something was bothering her. 

Had he been wrong? Maybe she found him just as unnerving as the others did. They would never say it out loud, but he still noticed.

"Forgive me for pushing, but I can see that there is something wrong. Have I done something to upset you?" 

To his relief, she shook her head, looking up at him. 

"No, it… it wasn't you," she took a deep breath as if she was debating whether or not she should elaborate. The microwave began beeping as she started to say something. She took the steaming cup out and lowered the teabag she had laid out into it. After the water turned dark brown, she brought the cup up to her lips, taking a small sip. She moved to take a seat at the counter, and he followed, settling on the opposite side.

"I've been having nightmares again," she said quietly, almost like she was ashamed. 

He looked at her, "Nightmares?" 

"You know, it's like a dream. Only it’s one that turns bad." Of course he knew what a nightmare was, but he had no idea what it was like to actually have one. Or a dream, at that. She shook her head, "I can usually calm myself down. Tea always helped when they were really bad,” she gestured to the cup she held in her hands and sighed, “and tonight was really bad.”

“Perhaps talking about it would help?” he asked and he was met with a blank stare. “Of course, you don't have to talk about it with me. I just thought—”

“Vision,” she interrupted with a small smile playing on her lips. “I know what you meant. And I… I think I would like to talk about it. With you.”

He returned her smile, before something more solemn settled on her face. She looked down while she spoke, “I was back in Sokovia, protecting the church from Ultron, doing my job. And all I see is my brother...” her voice broke, “It’s like it’s on repeat and there is nothing I can do. I’m just frozen in place.”

He remembered saving her that day, right after she destroyed Ultron in his main form. When he caught her, she felt so weak, so defeated. After getting her to safety, her trembling form clung to him, hiding her face in his neck. He would have held her longer, but the last Ultron had still been out there. Clint and Natasha stepped in to comfort her when he had to leave.

“I should have been there. I could have saved him.” A tear rolled down her cheek, falling onto the counter. Another one joined.

Vision reach out and placed his hand on top of her's. He did not know if it was appropriate as he was not familiar with the intricacies of social interaction, but he wanted to comfort her. The loss of her brother devastated her. For a few months, she had an empty look in her eye. But she had been getting better, smiling more. For some baffling reason, when she genuinely smiled, he felt his synthetic heart flutter.

The fact that she blamed herself was new to him. It should not have come as a surprise, but he still found the information alarming. "It was not your fault, Miss Maximoff," he said gently, "There was nothing anyone could do. You should not blame yourself."

"But if I had just been down there I could have protected him. He would still be alive."

"If you hadn't been where you were, then Ultron would have succeeded. Your brother knew that and he was doing his job. He died a hero." A few more tears puddled on the counter. His thumb traced soothing circles on her hand. "So, please, do not fault yourself. It saddens me to see you doing so."

She let out a shaky sigh before pulling her hand away and standing. She took her now-empty cup and put in the sink to be washed later. 

The abruptness of her actions confused him, but he tried to not let his hurt show. What had he done wrong? He rose from his seat and stood by the counter stiffly, unsure of what to do next.

What surprised him was when she walked back over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace, burying her face into his chest. “Thank you, Vis,” she breathed.

He froze before returning the embrace. It was hard for him to keep up with the mercurial woman, though the fact that she had given him the nickname left him with a pleasant feeling.

“Of course.” 

He enjoyed holding her in his arms. After a few moments, he let her pull away. It was getting late and as much as he enjoyed her company, he did not want her to be tired in the morning.

“You should try to get some more sleep, Miss Maximoff. There are still a few more hours before you have to be up and you do not want to be tired tomorrow."

A weary expression crossed over her face. "I know," she whispered, "but what if I have one again?"

"Then I shall be here, if you wish to talk about it."

She nodded reluctantly.

"Would you like me to walk with you to your room?" he asked, his boldness startling him. 

"If you don't mind," she said, much to his surprise. 

"Of course not." He offered her his arm.

They walked through the halls of the compound back to her room in a comfortable silence. When they reached her door, she hesitantly let her hand fall away from his arm.

“Thank you again,” she said. Her brow furrowed, “I’m sorry if I woke you up. If something like this happens again, I’ll try to be more quiet.”

“There is no need to apologize, Miss Maximoff. I don’t actually require sleep. And I meant what I said. You can always seek me out.” Her gaze met his and she nodded. “Good night, Miss—”

“Wanda,” she interrupted with a smile. “Please, you can call me Wanda. We’re friends, aren’t we? No need to be so formal.”

He nodded, returning her smile, “Good night then, Wanda.”

“Good night, Vis.”

With that, she closed her door and he was left to himself once again. For once, Vision did not prefer his solitude. He enjoyed his time with Wanda that night, though he wished that it had been under better circumstances. 

* * *

It happened several more times throughout the weeks. 

Sometimes she sought him out, knocking on his door in the early hours of the morning. Each time, he was amazed that she actually wanted him for company, in the times in which she was vulnerable. 

The next time it happened, most of the Avengers were off on separate missions and only Vision and Wanda remained at the compound. It had been one of the nights where he decided to keep watch instead of sitting in his room until morning. He had just finished up the dishes.

The silence was shattered when a cry came from Wanda’s bedroom. He found himself gliding down the hallway to her room. A faint, red glow came from underneath the door. 

”Wanda?” he called out, knocking at the door. ”Are you alright?”

There was no answer. The light grew brighter. 

”Please, are you alright?” No answer. The light made no signs of disappearing. He would never enter her room without her permission but this time, he felt he had to. 

He phased through the door to find Wanda’s sleeping form holding a ball of her magic in her hands, a fearful expression etched into her face. The red illuminated the room. Silent tears streamed down her face. It was a troubling sight.

"Wanda, please, wake up,” he urged softly, shaking her shoulder, "It is only a dream.”

Her eyes flew open with a sharp gasp. She looked at him and then down at the red energy she held in her hands, her eyes widening as she realized that she had summoned it in her sleep. It faded away after a few moments. She whispered a curse in Sokovian under her breath as she moved to sit up, hiding her face in her hands. He turned on the lamp that sat on the nightstand.

"Wanda?"

"Did… did I hurt you?" she asked, her head still in her hands. 

"What? No, of course not." The question bewildered him. She was terrified and yet she was worried that she harmed him?

"That's never happened before." 

”It’s alright,” he said, sitting down next to her on the bed. “Nothing bad happened.”

He tentatively reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders, like he was asking if this was okay. She looked up from her hands with tears in her eyes, before she melted into his embrace. Her arms wrapped themselves tightly around his midsection. He held her as she broke down, sobbing into his neck. "It's alright," he repeated softly, "You're alright."

She calmed after a few minutes had passed, her sobs reduced to occasional sniffles.

“Are you alright?” She nodded against him. “Would you like to go back to sleep?” She nodded again. Though he wanted to continue to hold her, he knew that she probably would not want him there much longer. The last thing he wanted to do was overstep, so he moved to leave. 

"Wait," she said, "could you stay? I mean, if you don't mind."

"Stay?" Her request stunned him. "Are you certain?"

She nodded. ”Stay.”

”As you wish.” 

However, he continued to move towards the door. 

”Where are you going?”

”I was going to get a chair,” he said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

“Vis, you don’t have to do that.” She patted the space next to her. “You can sit here, unless you don’t want to.”

”Oh,” he felt his cheeks warm, “I simply did not want to presume.”

He turned off the lamp and moved to sit beside her, this time leaning against the headboard of the bed. He felt the bed shift as she laid down. She nearly curled up into his side, though she was seemingly hesitant to touch him.

”Vis?”

”Yes?”

”Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For staying.”

“Of course, Wanda.”

He shifted, rigidly laying himself down on his back. She scooted herself closer, her arm coming around him to hug him to her. He relaxed when she nuzzled her face in his side. 

“Is this okay?” she murmured, after he thought she had fallen asleep.

“Yes.”

“Good night, Vision.”

“Good night.”

Her breathing slowly evened out and she drifted off. He let his eyes close.

Alone, once again, yet so content.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback, thoughts, or comments are extremely appreciated.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Have a good day.


End file.
